Apparatus for forming mineral wool



Nov. 29, 1955 c. D. RICHARDSON 2,724,859

APPARATUS FOR FORMING MINERAL WOOL Filed March 14, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l Jul Nov. 29, 1955 D. RICHARDSON 2,724,859

APPARATUS FOR FORMING MINERAL WOOL Filed March 14, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 l/VVE/VTUR afi-fzz'c'izardson Nov. 29, 1955 D. RICHARDSON 2,724,859

APPARATUS FOR FORMING MINERAL WOOL Filed March 14, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATT).

United States Patent APPARATUS FOR FORMING MINERAL WOOL Charles D. Richardson, Anna, 1111., assigno'r to Charles Richardson Corporation, Muncie, ind.

Application March 14, 1951, Serial No. 215,463

1 Claim. (Cl. Iii-) This invention relates to the manufacture of mineral wool and particularly to an improved machine for converting molten slag into fibrous materials.

The words, mineral wool, are understood to be used generically and cover slag, rock, glass or similar materials which have been melted to form a molten slag.

Formerly, mineral wool has been manufactured in many ways. One of these ways, most commonly used, is the conventional method of disintegrating a molten material into a fibrous material by the action of a high pressure steam jet. Later methods have been to fiberize the stream of molten material by allowing it to fall upon a high speed wheel disc or gear-like member which breaks the slag into small droplets which are thrown from the surface of the wheel by centrifugal force, thus forming fibers. Many known methods of this type are used, such as dropping on one wheel, or a series of wheels which act upon the slag in succession and wheels with an air or steam pressure from behind the wheel to blow the fibers which have been formed from the wheel.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved slag disintegrating wheel having a circumferential channel in its periphery into which the molten slag is fed, whereby the droplets and fibers into which the slag is beaten by the wheel are confined against lateral spattering, thereby not only producing better results and eliminating waste, but overcoming a hazard to the operator which has existed heretofore.

Another object of the invention is to provide the side walls of the disintegrating wheel with a transversely stepped formation, the steps of which are each provided with slag-beating means, providing for maximum'slag beating and disintegration.

Yet another object is to provide a slag beating wheel of the type set forth which may be constructed in one piece or from a plurality of separate toothed wheels or discs of different diameters, disposed side by side and secured against each other.

A further object is to provide an apparatus which will produce more resilient fiber and a greater yield of shotfree fiber.

A still further object is to provide a novel accelerating nozzle of substantially circular form which surrounds the spray of molten droplets, fibers, etc., thrown from the slag beating wheel, said nozzle being adapted to discharge a sleeve-like jet of high pressure steam or hot air around and in contact with said spray to accelerate the latter and completely form it into fiber.

Another object is to provide the above mentioned nozzle of such form that it may straddle the beating wheel to lessen the travel of the molten spray before being subjected to the steam or hot air jet, overcoming possibility of such cooling of the spray as to defeat the object of said jet, this being essential when converting some slags to fiber.

Another object is to provide for initial breaking up of the stream of slag before it is fed to the beating wheel, insuring better results.

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Yet another object of the invention is to provide for a steam or air jet to blow the initially broken up stream of slag against the beating wheel and to aid in driving this wheel, making it possible to use a much smaller wheel-driving motor than heretofore possible. 7

With the foregoing and other objects in view that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, showing one form of the apparatus,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, on line 3-3 of Figure 2, showing one form of the improved toothed beater wheel,

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, of the same apparatus shown in the preceding views,

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view showing the beater wheel formed from separate wheels or discs secured side by side,

Figure 6 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the circular nozzle shown in Figures 1 and 4, and a portion of its supporting means,

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view on line 7-- 7 of Figure 6, v

Figure 8 is a front elevation showing a form of nozzle which may straddle the beating wheel,

Figure 9 is a side elevation of the nozzle of Figure 8,

Figure 10 is a fragmentary elevation showing a variation over the construction shown in Figures 1 and 4 and illustrating additional nozzles, and I Figure 11 is a front elevation showing said additional nozzles of Figure 10.

The form of construction shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7, will first be described. A slag melting furnace is indicated at 12 and may be of any desired form. It is shown as of cupola type having an adjustable discharge spout 13 for a stream of molten slag 14. Mounted under the spout 13 is a slag beating and disintegrating wheel 15 which will be hereinafter described. This wheel throws a spray of the beaten and disintegrated slag forwardly as indicated by the broken lines 16. This spray passes through an opening 17' into a collecting chamber17, said chamber having an endless belt bottom 18 onto which the product felts and by means of which it is carried off to be made into bats or other mineral wool products.

Somewhat in advance of the wheel 15 and mounted in position to surround the spray 16, is a circular nozzle 19 for discharging a sleeve-like jet of high pressure steam or hot air around and in contact with said spray 16, for the purpose of accelerating this spray and completely defibering it, producing a resilient shot-free mass which felts evenly upon the conveyor 18.

The wheel 15 is secured upon a shaft 21, said shaft being rotatably mounted in bearings 22 on a suitable frame 23. On one end of the shaft 21, a pulley 24 has been shown in Figure 1, said pulley being engaged by a belt 25, This belt is driven at desired speed by a stepped pulley 26 on the shaft of an electric motor 27. The other end of shaft 21 has a packed connection 28 with the terminal of a water pipe 29 by means of which water may be conducted into a chamber 30 in the wheel 15 to prevent overheating of the latter. The shaft 21 is ported at 31 to direct the water into the chamber 30, and said shaft is further ported at 32 to conduct the heated water from said chamber.

A slide 33 is mounted on a track 34 secured to the frame 23 under the wheel 15. This slide is provided with a nut 35 into which the front end of a screw 36 is threaded, said screw being mounted on the frame 23 and having a hand wheel 37. Rotation of this hand wheel effects forward or rearward adjustment of the slide 33.

A standard 38 is mounted for vertical adjustment at 39 upon the slide 33. The upper end of this standard has. a U-shaped' yoke 40 in which the nozzle 19 is pivoted by means of trunnions 41' on said nozzle received in openings in the yoke arms. An inclined adjusting rod 42 is pro vided for pivotally adjusting the nozzle into the most efiect rve relation with the spray 16. Forward or rearward adjustment of said nozzle may be efi ected by adjusting the slide 33, and vertical adjustment may be attained by adjusting the standard 38, at 39. The upper end of rod 42 is pivoted at 43 to a leg 44 on the nozzle 19 and the lower end of said rod is adjustably connected at 45 with the frame 34.

For conducting steam or hot air to the nozzle 19, a valve line 46 is provided, including a length of hose 47. This line connects with a boss 48 on the nozzle 19 and communicates with a continuous chamber 49 within said nozzle. A continuous narrow slit 50 is provided from chamber 4? to the front side of the nozzle to discharge a sleeve-like jet of steam or hot air around and in contact with the moltenspray 16 thrown by the wheel 15. For most slags, a widthfof forty thousandths of an inch for the slit 50, is suflicient.

The periphery of the wheel 1E5v is provided with a circumferential channel 51 which receives the stream of molten slag 14 as seen in Figures 1 and 4, thereby confining the slag against lateral spattering, not only preventing waste but overcoming a prior hazard to the operator. Within the channel 51, the wheel is provided with slag beating means and thus the slag is beaten while confined in said channel, giving better fiberizing results than prior wheels. In the construction shown more particularly in Figures 2 and 3, each side wall 52 of the channel 51 is of radially stepped form, the concentric steps being shown at 53 and the connecting risers at 54. The steps 53 are recessed at 55, at circumferentially spaced points, leaving slag beating teeth 56 between the recesses. The recesses 55 of the steps 53 open through the risers 54. The bottom of the channel 51 is similarly recessed at 55, and the peripheral edges of the side walls 52 are notched at 55 Thus, a myriad of slag beating teeth are provided within the channel 51 to perform an unusually efficient beating and fiberizing action, and any slag which may laterally waver will be acted upon by the peripheral teeth between the notches 55 instead of being wasted.

"The spray 16 of fiber and small particles after leaving the wheel 15, is acted upon by the sleeve-like air or steam jet from the nozzle 19%, with the result that an unusually high quality, homogeneous, shot-free and resilient fiber is produced and discharged upon the conveyor 19 in readiness, for example, to be formed into mineral wool batts.

To insure the best results, according to the type of slag being acted upon, the nozzle 19 may be bodily adjusted either vertically or horizontally, or both, and said nozzle may also be pivotally adjusted as required.

In the construction so far described, the Wheel 15 is of one-piece formation. However, as seen in Figure 5, an equivalent wheel 15 except for the cooling chamber, may be constructed from separate discs or wheels 57 of proper relative diameter and secured together by a flanged hub 58 and nut 59,. The various discs or wheels 57 are peripherally notched at 60, leaving teeth 61 between the notches.

In Figures 8 and 9, a nozzle 19 is shown which can be used instead of the nozzle 19. Instead of being entirely circular, the nozzle 19 is of nearly circular form, a gap 62 being left at the lower side to receive the wheel 15 or 15. This permits the nozzle to straddle the wheel and allows said nozzle to be adjusted closer to the molten slag stream 14, this being advantageous when acting upon certain kinds of slag, to prevent appreciable cooling of the spray 16 before being engaged by the hot'air or steam jet discharged by the nozzle.

The supporting standard and yoke for the nozzle 19 are shown at 38 and 40, respectively, and said yoke is curved forwardly and downwardly from the nozzle to allow said standard to remain in front of the wheel 15 or 15.

In Figures 10 and 11, a further variation is shown. First, let it be observed that in Figures 1 and 4, the slag stream 14 enters the wheel channel 51 directly over the wheel axis. In Figure 10, however, the corresponding stream 14 enters the channel well behind the. axis of the wheel, and the nozzle 19 occupies a position nearly over said axis.

Two high pressure steam or hot air nozzles 63 and 64 are disposed at opposite sides of the path of the stream 14 being spaced apart laterally of the wheel. The jets discharged from these nozzles 63 and 64 strike and dis integrate the molten slag stream before it reaches the wheel and permit the latter to perform even more efficiently. Moreover, a high pressure steam or air nozzle 65 is provided behind the upper portion of the wheel to direct a jet 66 against the disintegrated stream 14 driving it into the wheel channel and still further increasing elficiency. Furthermore, the jet 66 exerts a driving force on the wheel and permits use of a smaller motor than would otherwise be required to drive said wheel at re quired speed. The jet 66 also eliminates any air stream which might otherwise. be present at the periphery of the wheel.

When using the structure shown in Figures 1 and 4,

if the wheel 15 be of 12 inch diameter and having a diameter of 9 inches at the bottom of the channel 51, a speed of about 6,000 R. P. M. will give successful operation when using a conventional rock or slag wool melt. In Figure l0,'the jet 66 will alone drive the wheel at about 5,500 R. P. M. but with the aid of the motor it can be brought to a speed of from 8 to 10 thousand R. P. M., required with some slags. The wheel speed is of course regulated according to the fluidity of the slag and the size of the stream being handled. When the disintegrated slag leaves the wheel 15 or 15*, fiber has just started to form and the slag has been chilled sufficiently to prepare each droplet thereof for complete fiberization. This is accomplished by accelerating the droplets and hitting them with the high pressure blast from the nozzle.19 or 19*. This nozzle is so adjusted that as the spray of partially fiberized droplets leaves the wheel, all of the spray passes through said nozzle. Thus, it is caughtby the-blast of steam or air from the nozzle and converted into homogeneous fiber by the increased velocity caused by the impact. This fiber is more resilient than that produced when using a straight rotor type operation, is entirely shot-free and the yield is greater than has been previously possible.

From the foregoing and the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been made for attaining the desired ends. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosure is to a large extentillustrative rather than limiting, and that variations may therefore be made within the scope of the invention as claimed. While only one fiberizing wheel and associated jet producing means are embodied in the apparatus shown, it is to be understood that a plurality could be employed. Also, the wheel could well be of greater width and provided with a plurality of slag-receiving channels, each having slag beating means.

Ii Ql m A mine al o p oduc n ppa tu mp i in a y hee fe be t n hen Slag, n hww t p fi-a substantially tangential spray of the beaten slag, means for delivering a stream of molten slag to said Wheel, jet discharging means adjacent the stream path for partially disintegrating said stream before it reaches said wheel,

5 and jet means intercepting the tangential spray thrown from said wheel, said Wheel having a peripheral channel, said channel comprising a series of annular steps leading from the peripheral edge of said wheel to the bottom of said channel, and a plurality of spaced notches in each of said steps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 White Nov. 15, 1938 Gray Oct. 17, 1939 Davis Feb. 24, 1942 Drill Sept. 15, 1942 Powell Dec. 4, 1951 Downey July 28, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland July 1, 1947 OTHER REFERENCES Ser. No. 388,876, Landgraf (A. P. 0.), published July 

